The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors
by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United StatesA Research Study Conducted by the John Jay College
of Criminal Justice

In June 2002 the full body
of Catholic bishops of the United States in their General Meeting in
Dallas approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and
Young People. The Charter created a National Review
Board, which was assigned responsibility to commission a descriptive
study, with the full cooperation of the dioceses/eparchies, of the
nature and scope of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy.
The National Review Board engaged the John Jay College of Criminal
Justice of the City University of New York to conduct research,
summarize the collected data and issue a summary report to the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of its findings. This
report by the John Jay College is authorized for publication by the
undersigned.

The study of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons
resulting in this report was authorized and paid for by the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) pursuant to the Charter
for the Protection of Children and Young People (Charter)
unanimously adopted by the USCCB at its June 2002 meeting. The Charter
called for many responses to this victimization of minors within the
Catholic Church. Article 9 of the Charter provided for the creation of a
lay body, the National Review Board, which was mandated (among other
things) to commission a descriptive study of the nature and scope of the
problem of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Accordingly, the Board approached John Jay College of Criminal
Justice to conduct such a study. The College assembled an experienced
team of researchers with expertise in the areas of forensic psychology,
criminology, and human behavior, and, working with the Board, formulated
a methodology to address the study mandate. Data collection commenced in
March 2003, and ended in February 2004. The information contained in
this report is based upon surveys provided by 195 dioceses, representing
98% all diocesan priests in the United States, and 140 religious
communities, representing approximately 60% of religious communities and
80% of all religious priests.

The mandate for the study was to:

1. Examine the number and nature of allegations of
sexual abuse of minors under the age of 18 by Catholic priests between
1950 and 2002.

2. Collect information about the alleged abusers,
including official status in the church, age, number of victims,
responses by the church and legal authorities to the allegations of
abuse, and other characteristics of the alleged abusers.

3. Collect information about the characteristics of
the alleged victims, the nature of their relationship to the alleged
abusers, the nature of the abuse, and the time frame within which the
allegations are reported.

4. Accumulate information about the financial impact
of the abuse on the Church.

Three surveys provide the data for this study:

1. A profile of each diocese, providing information
about characteristics of the diocese including region and size, the
total numbers of allegations, and the total expenditures occasioned by
allegations of abuse.

2. A survey of church records relating to individual
priests against whom allegations of abuse had been made.

3. A survey of church records relating to the alleged
victims of abuse and the nature of the alleged abuse.

Based upon the inquiries and communications that we received from the
dioceses, eparchies and religious communities, it is our impression
that, despite the complexity of the surveys and the difficulties of
identifying relevant church records, these data reflect a conscientious
and good-faith effort to provide exhaustive and reliable information
regarding allegations of abuse made to church authorities.

Due to the sensitive nature of the abuse allegations, which form the
core of this report, many steps were taken to assure the anonymity of
alleged victims and priests who were the subjects of the study. The
study used a double-blind procedure in which all reports were first sent
to Ernst & Young, an accounting firm, where they were stripped of
information that could be used to identify the area from which they were
sent. Ernst & Young then sent the unopened envelopes containing
survey responses to the John Jay researchers. The data set is thus
stripped of all identifying information that may be linked to an
individual diocese, eparchy or religious community, priest or victim.

OVERVIEW OF PREVALENCE AND REPORTING

PREVALENCE

- Priest surveys asked for birth dates and initials of the accused
priests in order to determine if a single priest had allegations in
multiple dioceses, eparchies or religious communities. To maintain
anonymity, this information was encrypted into a unique identifying
number, and birthdays and initials were then discarded. We detected 310
matching encrypted numbers, accounting for 143 priests with allegations
in more than one diocese, eparchy or religious community (3.3% of the
total number of priests with allegations). When we removed the
replicated files of priests who have allegations in more than one place,
we received allegations of sexual abuse against a total of 4,392 priests
that were not withdrawn or known to be false for the period 1950-2002.

- The total number of priests with allegations of abuse in our
survey is 4,392. The percentage of all priests with allegations of
sexual abuse is difficult to derive because there is no definitive
number of priests who were active between the years of 1950 and 2002. We
used two sets of numbers to estimate the total number of active priests
and then calculated the percentage against whom allegations were made.

o We asked each
diocese, eparchy and community for their total number of active
priests in this time period. Adding up all their responses, there were
109,694 priests reported by dioceses, eparchies and religious
communities to have served in their ecclesiastical ministry from
1950-2002. Using this number, 4.0% of all priests active between 1950
and 2002 had allegations of abuse.

o The Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate (CARA) reports a total of 94,607 priests for
the period 1960-2002. When we look at the time period covered by the
CARA database, the number of priests with allegations of sexual abuse is
4,127. Thus, the percentage of priests accused
for this time period is 4.3% if we rely on the CARA figures assessing
the total number of priests.

o If we examine the
differences between diocesan and religious priests, then our numbers
result in a total of 4.3% of diocesan priests with allegations of abuse
and 2.5% of religious priests with allegations of abuse. The CARA
numbers yield a total of 5% of diocesan priests from 1960-1996 with
allegations of abuse and 2.7% of religious priests from 1960-1996 with
allegations of abuse.

- Our analyses revealed little variability in the rates of alleged
abuse across regions of the Catholic Church in the U.S. -- the range was
from 3% to 6% of priests.

- A total of 10,667 individuals made allegations of child sexual
abuse by priests. Of those who alleged abuse, the file contained
information that 17.2% of them had siblings who were also allegedly
abused.

- It is impossible to determine from our surveys what percent of
all actual cases of abuse that occurred between 1950 and 2002 have been
reported to the Church and are therefore in our dataset. Allegations of
child sexual abuse are made gradually over an extended time period and
it is likely that further allegations will be made with respect to
recent time periods covered in our surveys. Less than 13% of allegations
were made in the year in which the abuse allegedly began, and more than
25% of the allegations were made more than 30 years after the alleged
abuse began.

DISTRIBUTION OF CASES BY YEAR

- The distribution of reported cases by the year the abuse is
alleged to have occurred or begun shows a peak in the year 1970.
However, considering the duration of some repeated abusive acts, more
abuse occurred in the 1970s than any other decade, peaking in 1980. But,
these conclusions have to be qualified because additional allegations
for those time periods may surface in the future.

- Alleged abuse sometimes extended over many years. In 38.4% of
allegations, the abuse is alleged to have occurred within a single year,
in 21.8% the alleged abuse lasted more than a year but less than 2
years, in 28% between 2 and 4 years, in 10.2% between 5 and 9 years and,
in under 1%, 10 or more years.

- Approximately one-third of all allegations were reported in
2002-2003, and two-thirds have been made since 1993. Thus, prior to
1993, only one-third of cases were known to Church officials. The
allegations made in 1993 and 2002-2003 include offenses that allegedly
occurred within the full time period from 1950-1993 and 1950-2002. The
distribution of allegations made in 2002-2003 resembles the distribution
of offenses alleged at all other time periods -- with the exception that
allegations of abuse in recent years are a smaller share of all
allegations.

COSTS OF ALLEGATIONS

- The amount of money already paid by the Church, as a result of
allegations, to victims, for the treatment of priests and for legal
expenses reported in our surveys was $472,000,000. That figure is not
the total paid by the Church to date -- 14% of dioceses and religious
communities did not report dollar figures. In addition, survey responses
were filed over a 10-month period and would not include settlements and
expenses incurred after surveys were submitted. In addition, no diocese
reported the recent and highly publicized $85,000,000 settlement. If we
include the $85,000,000 reported settlement, the total cost paid by the
church exceeds $500,000,000.

PRIESTS AND ACCUSERS

PROFILE OF PRIESTS WITH
ALLEGATIONS

- The majority of priests with allegations of abuse were ordained
between 1950 and 1979 (68%). Priests ordained prior to 1950 accounted
for 21.3% of the allegations, and priests ordained after 1979 accounted
for 10.7% of allegations.

- Over 79% of these priests were between 25 and 29 years of age
when ordained. For priests whose age at the time of the first alleged
abuse was reported, the largest group -- over 40% was between 30 and 39.
An additional 20% were under age 30, nearly 23% were between 40 and 49,
and nearly 17% were over 50.

- At the time abuse is alleged to have occurred, 42.3% of priests
were associate pastors, 25.1% were pastors, 10.4% were resident priests
and 7.2% were teachers. Other categories (e.g., chaplain, deacon, and
seminary administrator) were under 3% each.

- The majority of priests (56%) were alleged to have abused one
victim, nearly 27% were alleged to have abused two or three victims,
nearly 14% were alleged to have abused four to nine victims and 3.4%
were alleged to have abused more than ten victims. The 149 priests
(3.5%) who had more than ten allegations of abuse were allegedly
responsible for abusing 2,960 victims, thus accounting for 26% of
allegations. Therefore, a very small percentage of accused priests are
responsible for a substantial percentage of the allegations.

- Though priests' personnel files contain limited information on
their own childhood victimization and their substance and/or alcohol
abuse problems, the surveys report that nearly 7% of priests had been
physically, sexually and/or emotionally abused as children. The surveys
also indicate that nearly 17% had alcohol or substance abuse problems.
There are indications that some sort of intervention was undertaken by
church authorities in over 80% of the cases involving substance abuse.

- The surveys indicate that 32% of priests who were subject to
allegations of sexual abuse were also recognized as having other
behavioral or psychological problems.

OFFENSE CHARACTERISTICS

- The largest group of alleged victims (50.9%) was between the ages
of 11 and 14, 27.3% were 15-17, 16% were 8-10 and nearly 6% were under
age 7. Overall, 81% of victims were male and 19% female. Male victims
tended to be older than female victims. Over 40% of all victims were
males between the ages of 11 and 14.

- Of the total number accused, 37% of priests with allegations of
sexual abuse participated in treatment programs; the most common
treatment programs were sex-offender specific treatment programs
specifically for clergy and one-on-one psychological counseling. The
more allegations a priest had, the more likely he was to participate in
treatment. However, the severity of the alleged offense did not have an
effect on whether or not a priest participated in a treatment program.
Those who allegedly committed acts of penetration or oral sex were no
more likely to participate in treatment than priests accused of less
severe offenses.

- Priests allegedly committed acts which were classified into more
than 20 categories. The most frequent acts allegedly committed were:
touching over the victim's clothing (52.6%), touching under the
victim's clothes (44.9%), cleric performing oral sex (26%), victim
disrobed (25.7%), and penile penetration or attempted penile penetration
(22.4%). Many of the abusers were alleged to have committed multiple
types of abuse against individual victims, and relatively few priests
committed only the most minor acts. Of the 90% of the reported incidents
for which we had specific offense details, 141 incidents, or one and one
half percent, were reported that included only verbal abuse and/or the
use of pornography.

- The alleged abuse occurred in a variety of locations. The abuse
is alleged to have occurred in the following locations: in the priest's
home or the parish residence (40.9%), in the church (16.3%), in the
victim's home (12.4%), in a vacation house (10.3%), in school (10.3%),
and in a car (9.8%). The abuse allegedly occurred in other sites, such
as church outings or in a hotel room, in less than 10% of the
allegations. The most common event or setting in which the abuse
occurred was during a social event (20.4%), while visiting or working at
the priest's home (14.7%), and during travel (17.8%). Abuse allegedly
occurred in other settings, such as during counseling, school hours, and
sporting events, in less than 10% of the allegations.

- In the 51% of cases where information was provided, half of the
victims who made allegations of sexual abuse (2,638, or 25.7% of all
alleged victims) socialized with the priest outside of church. Of those
who did socialize with the priests who allegedly abused them, the
majority had interactions in the family's home. Other places of
socialization included in the church, in the residence of the priest,
and in various church activities.

REPORTING AND ACTIONS TAKEN

- To date, the police have been contacted about 1,021 priests with
allegations of abuse, or 24% of our total. Nearly all of these reports
have led to investigations, and 384 instances have led to criminal
charges. Of those priests for whom information about dispositions is
available, 252 were convicted and at least 100 of those served time in
prison. Thus, 6% of all priests against whom allegations were made were
convicted and about 2% received prison sentences to date.

- Half of the allegations that were made (49.9%) were reported by
the victim. In one-fifth of the cases (20.3%), the allegation of sexual
abuse was made by the alleged victim's attorney. The third most common
way in which the abuse was reported was by the parent or guardian of the
victim (13.6%). Allegations made by other individuals, such as by a
police officer, a sibling, or another priest, occurred in 3% of cases or
less. These allegations were most commonly made by calling the diocese
(30.2%), in a signed letter to the diocese (22.8%), or in a legal filing
(10.5%). All other methods by which the allegations were made, such as
in person, by telling a trusted priest, or through the media, occurred
in less than 10% of cases. Cases reported in 2002 had a similar
distribution of types of reporting as in previous years.

The full report contains more detailed and additional analyses
related to the information provided above. This report is descriptive in
nature. Future reports will examine the relationships among the
variables described here in more detail and will be multivariate and
analytic in nature.